Brazil’s Federal Public Ministry (MPF) filed a lawsuit Nov. 19 requesting the suspension of carbon projects in Amazonas state, in the Amazon Rainforest, arguing the administration had failed to consult the traditional communities living in the areas. The filing followed a recommendation along the same lines that was ignored by the state government, which plans to grant carbon credit projects in 21 state conservation units — summing up 12.4 million hectares (30.6 million acres) — to five private companies. These corporations would generate the credits by protecting areas that could otherwise be deforested, in a system known as REDD+, short for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. One of these companies is Carbonext, which took part in Fortaleza Ituxi, Unitor and Evergreen projects, targeted by a probe in June. Ricardo Stoppe, the owner of the projects and the leader of the criminal organization, was arrested alongside four others. The case was first revealed in May by Mongabay, which published an investigation showing the links between Stoppe’s group and a major illegal logging scheme. On the occasion, the company told Mongabay it wasn’t involved with the forest management carried out in the area. The Federal Police launched the Greenwashing Operation against the proponents of some of the largest carbon credit projects in Brazil. Image courtesy of the Federal Police. The Federal Police didn’t target Carbonext, responsible for estimating the project’s deforestation baselines and conducting all the bureaucracy around the registries and audits. “At least one of the companies ‘pre-selected’ by…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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South Africa Today – Environment
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